


Hard Truths

by MJThatch



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJThatch/pseuds/MJThatch
Summary: After throwing away her career due to Ironwoods descent into madness. Winter struggles to come to terms with some painful truths. Fortunately Robyn Hill is there to help comfort the newest member of her Happy Huntresses.
Relationships: Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Hard Truths

Winter looked out at the crystalline starry sky from the window of her old bedroom in the Schnee mansion. 

It had been two weeks since she had thrown aside her military career after seeing how far General Ironwood had fallen from grace. It hadn’t been long, literally hours following her resignation, that Robyn Hill had approached her with an offer to join her Happy Huntresses. With nowhere else to go, as well as a secret admiration towards the rogue huntress, Winter had accepted the offer.They were currently using Winter’s family home as a safe house. It was large enough that one could easily hide and never be found, and Winter knew of all the secret passages built into and around the estate. 

Currently Winter was brooding. Gazing out through the cold glass thinking about all the years of hard work she had thrown away, how after all those years of rising through the ranks she was once again back within the walls of her dreaded family home.

“Y’know, my mom used to say if you made a face for too long it would stick.” A voice snapped Winter from her brooding, turning around she saw Robyn leaning against the threshold of the bedroom door. Winter felt a light flutter in her chest as she looked upon the tanned skinned woman. She looked so confident just leaning there, sporting that lopped sided smile she almost always wore. It was a confidence Winter had always tried to emulate ever since she had first Robyn, all those years ago when she had first enrolled at Atlas Academy. 

“Yes well, maybe some faces are just meant to stick.” Winter remarked solemnly, she hated saying it but right now she was feeling so lost and ashamed that she felt this was the only face she deserved right now.

After a brief pause Robyn pushed herself into the room and slowly strode over to the former specialist. “A little ginger haired birdie told me something interesting the other day.” She said, her voice confident yet gentle. “She told me you seem to feel that your life doesn’t matter.” Winter lowered her head as she felt heat fill her face and neck, she had hoped that with everything that had happened that night Penny would have forgotten that momentary lack of judgement, or that Penny had simply kept it to herself. She saw Robyns boots come into view, stopping directly in front of where Winter stood. “Is that true?” the towering huntress with surprising softness. Before she could even think Winter lifted her head to the other woman, a stinging sensation began to prickle around her eyes and chest as she responded “So what if it is?” Winter lowered her head again, suddenly overcome with embarrassment for letting her emotions get the better of her.

Gently, a gloved hand placed itself under her chin and guided her face up to stare into Robyn’s soft violet eyes. “Your life does matter” Robyn cooed “you have people in this world who care about you, you matter to them and you should matter to yourself.” Winter felt herself growing dizzy ash her emotions began to spiral inside her. She stepped back, trying to push herself away from those enchanting purple eyes that made her feel so vulnerable. “No” she snapped, her voice trembling “I’m a soldier, I’m supposed to be ready to sacrifice my life at any moment for the greater good, be able to follow orders to the letter regardless of how I personally feel about them. I am a cog in a mighty war machine that defends the people of this world!” She let the voice inside her head out, the voice that was always reminding her of her duty and reprimanded every time she slipped up. She watched Robyn’s soft features harden, her brow furrowed and her jaw tightened, Winter braced herself for the verbal lashing she knew was coming. 

It never came, instead Robyn just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in exasperation. “This is one of the reasons I left that damn military” Her voice remaining calm and level “they drill the humanity out of you, drain it all away until you're just another one of their machines,programmed to simply follow orders and enforce Ironwoods self serving laws. Turn you into puppets.” Winter wanted to scold her for insulting Ironwood and the military, to tell her Ironwood was a great man and that he cared for the people. But even as she tried to say it, she couldn’t help but feel that there was a lot of truth in Robyn’s words, she knew what she was talking about, she’d been through it first hand. She wasn’t like Qrow or any of Ironwood's other critics who only saw things from the outside. She had been in the thick of it,so had Winter.

Winter let her arms hang limply at her side as her thoughts continued to spiral and fall apart. “The military gave me a new home” She muttered weakly “A new life away from my father, a chance to start over.” Winter felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a soothing embrace that made her tense up at the sudden display of affection. “You poor girl” Robyn whispered “I’m afraid you traded one manipulative, self-serving man for another, I’m sorry.” Winter’s walls collapsed in an instant, Robyn had just confirmed her worst fear, the dark truth she had been trying to push down and deny for weeks. Letting out a choking sob she threw her arms around the taller woman, gripping the back of her coat like her life depended on it, and wept openly for the first time in years.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, clasped together as Winter trembled and sobbed against Robyns steadfast form. She only knew that after what felt like an eternity Winter felt the last vestiges of strength leave her body. Her muscles seemed to turn to jelly, she began to feel drowsy as her legs lost their ability to support her. Noticing this Robyn adjusted her grip around the young woman’s shoulders whilst the other one gently gathered up her legs and cradled her against her chest. 

Robyn slowly walked over to the king sized bed and gently lowered Winter onto the soft covers. Winter immediately folded into herself pulling in as much of the warm, soothing covers as she could. After taking a second to remove her coat and scarf Robyn crawled in behind Winter pressing herself against her like a security blanket. Winter let out a shuddering breath as he felt Robyn’s warm pressure envelop her. With a gentle kiss to the head Robyn whispered “We will help you get through this, me and the girls will give you the family you deserve, it’s what we’re good at.”

Winter simply nodded in thanks before being gently pulled into the depths of sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit different then what I was originally planning for this fic, but I'm happy with the result.
> 
> This is currently just a one-shot but maybe be part of a larger story about Winter joining the Happy Huntresses, let me know if you interested in seeing that.


End file.
